Chemical EngineeringScience Vol. 40, No. 7, pp. 1301-1303, L985 000%2509/85 S3.00 + .

JO
Printed in Great Britatn. Pcrgamon Press Ltd.

Calculation of thickener area and depth based on the data of batch-settling test

(Received 7 June 1983; accepted 15 Nauetnber 1983)

Thickeners can be found in many various industrial fields, For a typical continuous thickener (Fig. 1) the flowrate of
where solid/liquid separation process for the suspension solids is constant in each cross-section:
with low concentration of solids takes place. The analysis of
the literature treating about the sedimentation shows that vc = V&s - V,c, = const (4)
there are no mathematical models which exactly satisfy so
operating conditions of the thickener. In particular the
problem concerns settling of particles in suspension and
v, = vc
=2
hydraulics of continuous thickener. Most information about
hydraulics are reported with regard to the same typical and material balance of liquid gives
constructions and rely on industrial practice. The experi-
mental coefficients correct differences between theory and W%# - c) = V*P, + V,@,, -c*).
practice. This can be seen from the basic relation for the
thickener area [l ,2]: Upon rearrangement eqn (5) becomes:

In eqn (1) the coefficient C has different forms. It can be Assuming that upward linear velocity of the clarified liquid
constant and equal to the number from the range of 1.25 + 2 is equal to the settling velocity of the solids:
(usually 1.33).
The settling velocity in eqn (I) is assumed to be constant -V, =w
and can be determined by Stokes’, Allen’s or Newton’s F
relations. Other authors[3] proposed to decrease the value
of w by so-called braking velocity. the area of a cross-section is given as
The velocity of hindered settling in suspensions consisting
of uniform particles with constant porosity can be evaluated
through multiplication of the free settling velocity by the 63)
following function[4]:
The settling velocity w may be determined from laboratory
b(c) = c2 1()- 1.82(1-6) data in batch-settling test:
(2)

Machej’s experimental data[5] show that eqn (2) is applica- dh

ble to liquids with high viscosity. In other cases the errors w=-dr
may even reach SOO%of the measured velocity.
as shown in Fig. 2.
THE THICKENER AREA
The mentioned above methods, based on constant settling
velocity, are not suitable for industrial thickeners, where Fred Overtlow
hindered settling occurs and porosity is not constant. Hence
the calculated thickener area may be different from the
required one. The main drawbacks of the mentioned meth-
ods can be omitted by using the variable velocity[6,7l ob-
tained from the batch-settling test, given as:

h =f(r). (3) 4
Underflow
It will be shown that basing only on the reiationship of the
“2 l
C2
height of interface on time, a proper value of thickener area
can be reached. Fig. 1. Schematic diagram of continuous thickener.

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